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"Fireball"
The party were loading interrupted by the explosion caused by a fireball outside their headquarters at The Joyful Spirit. Investigating those who were killed from the explosion, Sariel notices that among them is a member of The Ebon Vipers and a gnome with dried sewage waste on their boots. She stealthily takes from the dead gnome a coin pouch filled with five gemstones. Saeth Cromley and Barnibus Blastwind of the City Watch arrived on the scene. Barnibus concludes the dead gnome was likely heading to the Joyful Spirit and begins to question the party members about the gnome who the party has never met. Damaia convinced Barnibus to tell them what he knows and he informs the party that there was a third member of the Vipers that is not present, that the gnome was heading towards the tavern, and that neither the gnome or his pursuers saw the fireball coming. Darvin spoke with Fala Lefalir, the owner of Corellon's Crown, and learns that a cloaked man had taken something of the dead gnome before heading towards the Bent Nail. Thorin spoke to Jezrynne Hornraven who tells him that it wasn't a man that threw the fireball, it was a puppet, a puppet without strings. Sariel spoke with the young 12-year old Martem Tree who is persuaded to give over the necklace of fireball that he found in a barrel. Sariel hands this over to Barnibus and Saeth. The party follows the dead to the morgue with a cleric in their employ. They speak with the dead gnome, Dalakhar, who tells them that he stole an artifact called the Stone of Golorr from Xanathar, that he worked for Dagult Neverember, that the Stone is a key to finding the dragon's hoard hidden in the city, and he had learned that a group of adventurers rescued Neverember's son from The Ebon Vipers and he was about to deliver the Stone to them for safe keeping when the fireball killed him. The party also spoke with the two dead Ebon Vipers and learned their names were Bashekk Ortallis and Wern Malkrave and that they worked under Urstul Floxin and resided at the Gralhuld Villa and that they were tasked to retrieve an artifact that would make them apparently very rich from the gnome. The characters realized that the automaton that threw the fireball matches the description of those used during the Day of Wonders parade which is sponsored by the House of Inspired Hands, the local temple of Gond. They make their way there but are attacked outside the temple by a mechanical bird that Darvin swiftly kills. The party speaks with Valetta, a dragonborn priestess, who leads them to the attic to confront the nimblewright Nim, who informs them that he had created for himself a 2nd nimblewright for he had become lonely confined to the temple by himself. Nim's tools are then confiscated by Valetta and the party is given the nimblewright detector to aid in tracking down this nimblewright vigilante. The party then met with the ship captain, Zardoz Zord, for dinner upon his flagship, The Eyecatcher, learning that many ships are refusing passage to the kingdom of Umbria for fear of being attacked by dragons. The party then met Renaer who had learned that the gnome was following him and when he was kidnapped by the Ebon Vipers, the gnome had become worried. Renaer follows up on the leads giving to him by The Harpers informing the adventurers that the person Fala mentioned matches the description of Urstul Floxin, that a witness saw Urstul enter Gradhuld Villa, and the City Watch spoke with Lord Orond Gradhuld who ensure them that no one had broken in and without a warrant were unable pursue the matter further. The adventurers sneaked their way into Gradhuld Villa and Damaia picked the gate allowing them to enter the Villa proper. The adventurers stumbled into the Great Hall and were confronted by two members of the Ebon Vipers, who they swiftly killed. The house was a bloodbath of house servants and Ebon Vipers, and the adventurers aid the Gradhuld servants in defeating the Ebon Vipers and killed Urstul Floxin who was trying to attack Lord Gradhuld. Damaia intimidated Orond into revealing what was going on between him and Urstul, that his family had been bank-rolling the Ebon Vipers in retrieving the Stone of Golorr, and that it was his wife who had given the nimblewright the necklace of fireball when she got fed up with the failures of the Ebon Vipers. The adventurers are contacted to meet with the Vipers member Istrid but chose instead to turned her over to the proper authorities by disclosing their meeting location with Crowley and Barnibus. In the coming days, more and more members of the Ebon Vipers are apprehended and questioned. Istrid, having learned of the adventurer's betrayal, makes them the target of her subgroup, the Doom Warriors.